These delightful caramels are soft and chewy with a salty edge to balance against the sugary sweetness. Package them up into a tin box and wrap around some pretty ribbon and voila! You have a homemade hostess gift. You will need a candy thermometer to make these
caramels; you can buy thermometers at good kitchenware stores. Image.

2.Combine the cream, butter, vanilla bean and
Fleur de Sel in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to the boil,
remove from the heat and cover with the saucepan lid to keep warm.3.To make the caramel, combine the sugar and
honey in a medium, heavy based saucepan. Stir gently over a low heat until the
sugar has dissolved. Be careful to not let the mixture come to the boil until
the sugar has dissolved or the caramel will crystalize.4.Once the sugar has dissolved, take a pastry
brush dip it in a little water and clean around the edges of the saucepan to
make sure there are no sugar crystals on the sides of the saucepan.5.Place in the candy thermometer and bring to
a rapid simmer, cook until the syrup reaches 155ºC (310ºF) on the candy
thermometer, 6.Remove from the heat. Carefully pour the
cream mixture into the caramel, stir well and then remove the vanilla bean.

7. Return to a medium heat and cook the
caramel until it reaches 127ºC (260ºF). Remove from the heat and stir through
the diced butter and pecans. Mix until the butter has melted. Pour into the
prepared pan, sprinkle with the extra Fleur de Sel and allow to set at room
temperature.

food dept. fact: Fleur de sel is French for
‘flower of salt’. It is hand harvested from saltpans along the coast of
Brittany and is available at specialty stores. If you can’t find it you can use
flaked sea salt.

To buy Fleur de sel and other amazing salt mixes online try our friends at the saltbox www.thesaltbox.com.au

Thursday, 4 April 2013

You will need to start this recipe one day ahead. For a great party platter - serve with some
toasted rye bread and all the delicious accompaniments. Let people serve themselves, pop a bottle of crisp, cold champagne and get the party started!

2. Using a large non-reactive dish (glass, china or
stainless steel), sprinkle an even layer of salt over the base of the dish lay
the salmon fillet on top, skin side down.
If the salmon fillet is too large to fit in the dish, cut the salmon
fillet in half. Sprinkle with the remaining salt mixture between the layers and
over the salmon, ensure all of the salmon flesh is coated.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and the weigh down with a
heavy chopping board and a couple of cans.

Refrigerate for 12 hours, uncover the salmon turn
over the fillet, recover with plastic and the weights and refrigerate for another
12 hours.

Remove from the refrigerator and brush off the salt
mixture, wipe with some damp paper towel. Store the fillet in the refrigerator
until ready to serve. It is important to remove the salt mixture after 24 hours
or the fish will continue to cure and become very firm.

To serve, slice the salmon very thinly and arrange
on a serving platter with the Dijon crème fraiche dressing, Pickled cucumber
and onions and serve with some toasted rye bread.

Dijon crème fraiche dressing

Makes approximately 1 cup

• 200ml crème fraiche

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl
and whisk to combine, set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Keeps
for 1 week in the refrigerator.

Pickled cucumber and onions

Makes approx. 3 cups

• 3 Lebanese cucumbers

• ½ white onion, sliced into very thin wedges

• ¼ cup dill sprigs

• 1 cup white vinegar

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1. Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, slice the
cucumbers, discarding the ends. You can also use the mandolin to slice the
onion.

3. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and fennel
seeds in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolved
and then bring to the boil. Pour over the cucumber, onion and dill, once cooled
cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required, keeps for 1 month.

Having a barbie? (That's Aussie for barbeque or grill). Impress your friends with our salty, juicy steak, but the best part about this recipe, is you can make the porcini salt and salsa verde in advance. Go on, fire up the barbie mate!

Serves
4

• 4
x rib eye steaks, approximately 2cm thick

• 1
tablespoon olive oil, for rubbing

• 1
quantity Porcini and peppercorn salt

• 1
quantity Lemony salsa verde

1. Bring
the meat to room temperature before cooking. Rub liberally with olive oil and Porcini
and peppercorn salt, use approximately 1 teaspoon or the salt rub per steak.

2. Heat
barbecue grill or grill pan until hot.

3. Place
the steaks onto the barbecue and cook for 1 minute, give the steaks a ¼ turn on
the same side and cook for another 1 minute. This will give crisscross grill
markings on the steak.

4. Turn
the steak over and cook for 1 minute, give the steaks a ¼ turn on the 2nd
side and continue to cook for another 1 minute.

5. Remove
the steaks from the barbecue and cover loosely with foil. Allow to stand in a
warm place for 4 minutes until ready to serve. Steaks will be cooked medium rare.

1. Combine
the porcini mushrooms and peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and grind
until fine.

2. Mix
the porcini and pepper mixture into the salt flakes and store in a jar until
ready to use. Keeps for up to 6 months.

Lemony
salsa verde

Makes
½ cup

• 1
clove garlic

• rind
1 lemon

• 1
cup continental parsley leaves, finely chopped

• 1
tablespoon capers, finely chopped

• 2
anchovy fillets

• ¼
cup extra virgin olive oil

• juice
½ lemon

• salt
and black pepper, to taste

1. Combine
all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

2. Store
in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Return to room temperature before
serving.

Himalayan rock salt and caraway seed
pretzels

Don't be put off by the look of these salty, golden, plaits, they are super easy to create and make a great movie-night snack.

Makes 16 pretzels

• 2 cups warm water

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon dried yeast

• 5½ cups bread flour

• 1 tablespoon salt

• olive oil spray, for greasing

• 2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda

• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons
water, to make an egg wash

• 1 tablespoon Himalayn rock salt

• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds

• seeded mustard or dijonnaise, to serve

1. Place warm water in the bowl of an electric
mixer that can use a dough hook. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve, sprinkle
over the yeast. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 10
minutes or until the yeast begins to foam. This is the yeast activating and
beginning to work.

2. Place the bowl onto the mixer and add the
flour and salt. Mix on a low speed until the flour is combined. Turn up to a
medium speed and knead with the mixer for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is
smooth and springy.

3. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl and
place in the dough, turn the dough over or lightly spray with more oil spray so
that the surface of the dough is lightly covered with the oil. Place the tea towel
over the bowl and allow to stand in a warm place until the dough has doubled in
size. A sunny window sill is always good or if it’s a cold grey day fill your
sink with hot water and place the bowl on a cooling rack over the water and
cover completely with a towel.

4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide
it in to 16 even pieces. I find the easiest way to do this is to weigh the
whole dough and divide by 16, then you can weigh each piece and you will end up
with pretzels all the same size, cover with a tea towel to prevent drying out.

5. Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF). Place a
large deep-sided frying pan with approximately 4cm of water and the bicarbonate
of soda over a low heat and bring to a slow simmer.

6. Roll each ball of dough into a sausage
shape approximately 45-50 cm long. To do this start in the centre and roll the
sausage backwards and forwards at the same time you are stretching the dough
outwards. Once it reaches the correct length bring the 2 ends of the dough
around towards you and cross them over each other twice. Then flip the twist
and the 2 ends back onto the curve of the dough to create a pretzel shape.
Working with a few pretzels at a time, poach them in the simmering water for 1
minute, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a lined baking tray.

7. Brush the pretzels with the egg wash and
then sprinkle with the Himalayan salt and caraway seeds; bake for 15 minutes or
until golden brown.

8. Serve warm from the oven with a bowl of mustard
or dijionnaise, for dipping.

Salt
and Sichuan pepper baby prawns with coriander and lime aioli

Go to any good Sydney restaurant and you will find similar prawn recipes to this on the menu. Australia is known for it's clean warm waters and wonderful fresh seafood, so we decided to do a stay at home crispy prawn recipe for those of you who can't make it to ole Sydney town.

Serves
6 for nibbles or 4 for entree

• 500g
baby school prawns

• 1
tablespoon Sichuan pepper

• 2
teaspoons white peppercorns

• ½
cup rice flour

• 1
tablespoon flaked sea salt

• extra
1 tablespoon flaked sea salt

• vegetable oil, for deep frying

• 1
quantity Coriander and lime aioli, to serve

1. Place
the whole, unshelled prawns into a colander and give them quick rinse cold
water, set aside and allow to drain.

2. Place
the Sichuan pepper and peppercorns into a mortar and pestle and crush well. Combine
half of the crushed peppers with the rice four and salt in a large bowl.
Combine the remaining crushed peppers with the extra 1 tablespoon salt flakes
and set aside for serving. Toss the prawns in flour mixture to coat.

3. Heat
oil in a wok over a medium heat. Test that the oil is hot enough by dipping the
handle of a wooden spoon into the oil; it should sizzle if the oil is hot
enough.

4. Take a handful of the prawns from the flour
and place into a sieve, give it a quick shake to remove any excess flour and
them carefully tip the prawns into the hot oil. Allow the prawns to cook for
2-3 minutes depending on their size. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon
and drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with remaining prawns until they are all
cooked. While hot sprinkle with the extra pepper and salt mixture.

5. Serve
immediately with the Coriander and lime aioli.

Coriander
and lime aioli

This
amazing aioli takes just 15 seconds to whizz up!

Makes
approximately 1 ½ cups.

• 2
free range eggs

• 2
cloves garlic, crushed

• 1
cup light olive oil

• juice
1 lime

• ½
cup coriander leaves

• 1
teaspoon salt flakes

• black
pepper, to taste

1. Combine
all ingredients in a large jug.

2. Using
a stick blender, blend for 15 seconds or until aioli is thick. If the aioli is
too thick add a little more lime juice or water to thin to dipping consistency.
Keeps for 1 week in the refrigerator.

food dept. fact: Aioli is usually a time consuming thing to make, but use a stick
blender and it emulsifies the ingredients in seconds. This method won't work
with a blender or food processor.

Salt-crusted roast chicken
with tarragon vinaigrette

There really is something exciting and magical about this recipe. You start by wrapping up a chicken in a layer of salt, you may think, too much salt, but trust in the recipe, it works. Once cooked, crack open the warm salt crust, and the smell of salt and tarragon steams out from the shell, to reveal a delicious tender chicken. Mmmmm, yum!

Serves
4

• 1.8kg
free range chicken

• ½
bunch tarragon

• 1
clove garlic

• ¼
cup extra virgin olive oil

• black
pepper, to taste

• 2
lemons, zest finely grated and the lemons halved

• extra,
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

• extra,
1 bunch tarragon

• 2kg cooking salt

• 1
tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar and pestle

• 4
free range egg whites

• ¼
cup water

• salad
greens and avocado, to serve

• 1
quantity of Tarragon vinaigrette, to serve

1. Preheat
oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Rinse the chicken under cold water and dry with paper
towel.

2. Combine
the tarragon leaves, garlic, olive oil and black pepper in a food processor and
blend until it forms a thin paste. Rub the paste over the chicken, inside the
cavity and under the skin on the breast. Be careful not to tear the skin or the
salt crust will penetrate the flesh and become too salty.

3. Stuff
the cavity of the chicken with two of the lemon halves and the extra cloves of
garlic. Truss the chicken and set aside while you prepare the salt for the
crust.

4. Remove
the extra bunch of tarragon and finely chop. Combine tarragon in a large bowl
with the salt, lemon zest, pepper, egg whites and water. Using your hand mix
the ingredients well. The salt mixture should the consistency of wet sand that
you would use to build a sand castle.

5. Place
a layer of the salt mixture into the base of a heavy baking dish, approximately
2 cm thick. It only needs to big enough for the chicken to sit on. Pack the
remaining salt around and over the chicken to completely encase the chicken.

6. Bake
the chicken for 2 hours.While the
chicken is baking prepare the vinaigrette and salad. Once baked remove the
chicken form the oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

7. Break
open the salt crust to reveal the chicken. You may need to use a meat mallet or
pestle to crack the salt crust. Using a towel or oven mitts break off the
reaming salt, brush off any broken bits of the salt and remove the chicken skin
to reveal beautiful juicy chicken.

8. Serve
with salad greens and a drizzle of the Tarragon dressing.

Tarragon Vinaigrette

Makes
1 cup

• ½
bunch tarragon leaves, finely chopped

• ¼
cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ¼
cup tarragon vinegar

• ½
cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1
teaspoon sugar

• 1
clove garlic, squashed but still whole

• salt
and black pepper, to taste

1.Combine all the ingredients in a jar and
shake well. Remove the garlic clove before use. Use as required.

Salt
and Rosemary Crusted Potatoes

Love roast potatoes? Well these spuds are out of control ahhhh-mazing! Bite through crunchy, salty potato skins to clouds of soft warm mash, what a fabulous winter warming treat.Serves
6

• 6
large Sebago potatoes

• 1
tablespoon olive oil

• ¾
cup cooking salt

• 2
tablespoons finely chopped rosemary

• softened
butter, to serve

1.Preheat
the oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Scrub the potatoes clean and dry with paper towel.
Pierce the potatoes several times with a skewer and brush with olive oil.

2.Combine
the salt and rosemary in a medium bowl and roll the potatoes in the salt to
create a crust, reserve left over salt mixture.

3.Using
the reserved salt and rosemary mixture, place 6 small piles of salt onto a
lined baking tray. Place the potatoes on top of the piles of salt.

4.Bake
for 1- 1½ hours depending on the size of the potatoes. Test with a skewer to
make sure they are cooked through. Being careful when you pierce the skin so
that the salt crust isn’t damaged.

5.Once
cooked remove from the oven and using a fork mark a cross in the skin of the
potato.Pinch the sides of the potato to
open up the fluffy flesh. Serve hot with a dollop of butter.

We are not sure you will ever forgive us for introducing you to this incredible flavour combination, but go ahead, indulge away! The smooth, sweetness of the icecream is wonderfully balanced against the salty, nuttiness of the crunchy biscuit. It's a flavour sensation.

Makes
1½ litres

• 1
litre good quality vanilla ice cream

• 150g
dark chocolate, chopped

• 1/3
cup chopped salted peanuts

• ½
cup organic peanut butter

• ½teaspoon salt flakes

• 1
quantity Cinnamon salt and peanut biscuits

1.Soften
the ice cream and place into a large mixing bowl.

2.Sprinkle
over the chocolate and peanuts, dot with small spoonsful of the peanut butter
and sprinkle over the salt flakes. Mix the ice cream to evenly distribute the
chocolate, nuts and peanut butter but do not over mix or you will loose the
swirls of peanut butter.

3.Return
to a plastic container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.

4.Serve
with Cinnamon salt and peanut biscuits.

Cinnamon Salt and Peanut Biscuits

Makes
approximately 20 biscuits

• 125g
unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1
cup brown sugar

• 1 free range egg

• 1½
cups self-raising flour

• 1
cup roasted peanuts

• ½
teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½
teaspoon salt flakes

1.Preheat
the oven to 180ºF (360ºF). Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl, cream
together using and electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix
well.

2.Add
the flour and beat in on low until well combined. Using a wooden spoon mix
through the peanuts.

3.Using
heaped tablespoons full of mixture, shape into balls and place onto a lined
baking tray.Lightly flatten.

4.Combine
the cinnamon and salt flakes in a small bowl. Sprinkle onto the biscuits and
bake to 10-12 minutes or until golden.

5.Cool
on the tray and store in an airtight container.

With thanks to JL Huth for helping us in the kitchen on the day of shooting!